Defunding the Affordable Care Act, often called Obamacare, Donald Trump declared an Opioid Health Emergency and ascribed the massacre in Sutherland Springs, Texas, to mental health problems, not lax gun-control. These reflect what BuzzFeed Editor Alberto Nardelli writes: "Trump is driven by an obsession with unraveling Barack Obama’s policies. He will ask: ‘Did Obama approve this?’ And if yes, he will say: ‘We don’t.’ He won’t listen to the arguments or debates. He is obsessed with Obama.” To demonstrate Trump's unbound contrariness: Trump's "declaration" used as illustration his brother Fred Jr.’s “very, very, very tough life" and his moral-obligation to Fred.

"I had a brother, Fred — great guy, best-looking guy, best personality — much better than mine. ... He had a problem with alcohol, and he [told] me, 'Don’t drink. Don't drink.' He was ... older, and I listened to him and I respected ... he would constantly tell me, 'don't drink.' He'd ... added, over and over, 'don't smoke.' He really helped me."

David Cay Johnston wrote in "The Making Of Donald Trump" that Donald Trump's two mottoes, "Always get even" and "Hit back harder than you were hit," came into play shortly after his father's funeral in 1999. The next day, Fred III's wife, Lisa, went into labor.

Uncle Robert called Fred III and promised all the medical bills would be covered.

Donald and Fred's father, Fred Trump Sr., provided every family member with medical insurance through his company. Precise, the Trump family medical plan, was to cover "all costs related to baby William's care, notwithstanding any plan limits (percentage, number of visits or maximum dollar amount) whether they are deemed by Precise to be medically necessary." Dated July 19, 1999, 24 days after Fred Sr. died, Fred Sr.'s will was filed in probate court. Fred Jr.'s progenitors discovered they were not collecting their anticipated share of the $300 million-plus estate, and filed suit, asking that Fred Jr.'s descendants inherit a fifth of the fortune, in-lieu-of the $200,000 each apportionment.

Donald Trump's reaction was swift and vengeful. One week after the lawsuit was filed, Fred III received a certified letter stating that all medical benefits would cease on May 1. For William, that was a potential death sentence.

Noel King, hosting NPR's "All Things Considered" on Nov. 4, discussed that the opioid epidemic is ravaging large parts of the American population. But some races, including Native Americans, are being hit harder than others. Dr. Andrew Kolodny, a drug abuse expert, explained why that might be the case:

"Our new opioid addiction epidemic is sparing African-American and Latino communities, and it's striking when you look at the data. It's very clear that this epidemic is overwhelmingly white. It begs the question, why? I can share with you a theory that's based on evidence. ... [D]octors prescribe narcotics more cautiously to their non-white patients. ... [I]f the patient is black, the doctor is more concerned about the patient becoming addicted, or more concerned about the patient selling their pills, or maybe they are less concerned about pain in that population. But the black patient is less likely to be prescribed narcotics, and therefore less likely to wind up becoming addicted to the medication. Racial stereotyping is having a protective effect on non-white populations."

King added that President Trump has declared a public health emergency but not a national emergency. A national emergency would allow federal funding, potentially access to FEMA funds, to go toward treating it.

According to healthcare.gov, all Health Insurance Marketplace/Obamacare plans cover mental health and substance abuse services as essential health benefits, which include mental and behavioral health services.

All plans must cover:

Behavioral health treatment, such as psychotherapy and counseling

Mental and behavioral health inpatient services

Substance use disorder (commonly known as substance abuse) treatment.

Thereby, Obamacare would cover both the shooter and his surviving victims.

Mary Gravitt is an Iowa City resident and member of the Writers' Group.